A Hero
by Xizuma
Summary: Heroes. It's an old-fashioned notion. Ritsuka Fujimaru, a hopelessly average magus with a hidden talent, finds himself thrust into the role of saving humanity. Only problem is, he doesn't want to be a hero. But if the going gets tough, and when push comes to shove, he's not afraid to fight back. After all if he can't protect humanity, you can be damn well sure he'll avenge it.
1. Chapter 1

**Wooh boy, this story…**

**Man, am I gonna get grilled for this, huh?**

**In any case, I don't care either way since I'm not pulling the strings here, I'm just writing it due to a favor ****I was totally not blackmailed.**

**Either way I found out that I particularly dislike writing Iron-Man related stuff. Not out of spite of the character, no, he's one of my top ten, but it's gonna be hard molding Fate lore and Marvel lore.**

**This is an experimental story, and I'll only continue it if people want to, just a heads up. In any case, consider this story as another universe within the multiverse of the world of Fate/Grand Order.**

**Expect some divergence after the First Singularity (If we ever get to that.).**

**Enjoy, chapter 1 of,**

**TO BE A HERO**

* * *

"What kind of Organization locates itself in the Antarctic?"

That was the first thing that he came out of his mouth when he came out of the aircraft and into the building.

Gleaming, swathes of stainless steel, sleek white tiled floor, the glaring of lighting built within the ceiling, and a corridor of windows is what greeted the young man upon entering, the howling wind of the outside now muffled as he grabbed his bag that he carried on his shoulder.

He scratched his unkempt black hair with his free arm as his eyes gazed at his new surroundings with curiosity and a twinkle of amusement while he wandered the hallways.

By the end of the first hallway, stood a man supporting a green top hat, a dress shirt with a purple tie tucked under a green coat of the same shade of his hat and what looked to be… knee high boots?

'_Thought that went out of fashion a few hundred years ago?'_ He chuckled.

"Is there something you find funny, young man?" The man in green asked, before he widened his eyes. "Oh! Fujimaru Ritsuka, I presume?"

"That's me." Focusing his attention away from the man's clothing, Ritsuka nodded as he coughed awkwardly.

The man in green smiled. "I see, you have arrived earlier than expected." He extended his hand. "Lev Lainur Flauros, one of the head technicians here in Chaldea."

The younger of the two shook his hand, giving a polite smile as he did. "You have many questions, I assume?" Lev asked.

"Yeah." Ritsuka said. "I kinda want to know what this job entails first before jumping ahead." The teen admitted.

"Then it's settled then." Lev nodded and turned around, gesturing Ritsuka to follow. "Come with me, I'll give you a tour of the Organization."

The two walked, and Ritsuka couldn't help but be impressed at how technologically advanced Chaldea was. Holograms detailing different information popped by as Lev led him around the building as they entered through numerous sliding doors that gave way to different sections of the headquarters.

Staff members greeted Lev as they passed by, before they would glance at him and whisper, which made Ritsuka uncomfortable.

Did they know something he didn't? Probably, but did it involve him? But how? Was it the design of his projects that he had sent a month earlier?

'_Oh no.' _He widened his eyes. _'Did they find out I was the one who sent it? If so, were they laughing at me?!' _He groaned. He knew that he should have finished the schematics but _noooo_, he just had to slack off.

His thoughts of failure was distracted when a few circular robots that hovered in the air passed by them.

Lev explained that they were mainly for assistance of different kinds and what not.

"Amazing, is it not?" The older man smirked. "Chaldea has gathered many brilliant men and women of many talents that help maintain this facility." Lev said as they passed another corridor. "All under one mission, a mission that you will soon be part of." He smiled at him.

"Can't wait…" Ritsuka replied off-handedly as he continued to admire the sleek white walls and technological advancements Chaldea. If he were to be honest, everything here looked like a sci-fi comic book come to life.

Lev shortly stopped in front of two doors.

"This is the Engineering Division." Lev gestured.

Various machinery used for assembling the robots that roamed about in the halls filled the large space of the Engineering Division. Repair stations and offices for many employees were stationed at the sides of the main area, staff members assigned looked busy as always as they rushed to meet their quota, many carrying various parts of tools as crates filled with materials and machines were organized in the corner of the room should any of the assembly lines need repairing or they had run out of parts.

"Woah…" Ritsuka looked in wonder, his lips curling in delight as his eyes roamed around the robotic parts and tools in curiosity and excitement.

"Interested in machinery?" Lev asked in amusement as the younger man nodded.

"You could say that." The black haired teen replied as his eyes followed a newly repaired robot exiting the assembly line. "Do you think they'd mind if I tinker with some of the bots around here?"

Ritsuka's eyes caught a glimpse of a circuit board that lay on one of the crates nearby and walked towards it, inspecting it closely. "Is this the mainframe your robots are wired to?" He asked.

Lev rose an eyebrow. "It is, what of it?" The man confirmed, his curiosity growing when the teenager brought it up to his eyes as he hummed.

"Nothing, just noticed that it seems a bit… outdated." The teen pointed out.

Lev's interest was piqued.

"First off, the way you guys designed it, the components looks to be a bit too cramped, that can cause some overheating issues and can result to powerfailure." He explained.

The teen's eyes landed on an object in the corner and approached the empty shell of a robot exterior. "The model could use a bit of an update as well, for better maneuvering and all."

The teen moved away from the discarded robot and back to the circuit board. "Then there's a bit of closely placed traces and pathways, some bad soldering to cold joints, and insufficient board thickness. But that's a given since you guys seem to be mass-producing it so some error on the mainframe would be common and-"

Ritsuka stopped, realizing his ranting and preened, placing the circuit board back as he chuckled nervously.

"Sorry." He apologized to his superior. "I kinda get carried away when it comes to these things." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

There goes making a good first impression.

To his surprise, Lev chuckled and shook his head.

"No need for apologies, Mister Fujimaru." The man in green waved him off. "If what you say is correct, then I may need to consult with the supervisor just in case." He said, before he began walking to the hallway. "In any case, let us continue the tour around the facilities."

"Y-Yes sir!" Ritsuka stammered, and quickly followed him.

Discreetly, Lev sent a glance at the last master candidate with a calculating gaze.

'_Fujimaru Ritsuka.' _

From what the reports had him believed, Fujimaru Ritsuka was a regular high schooler, albeit coming from magus decent, shortly graduating and spent a year in The Clock Tower to improve his Magecraft.

'_Passable.' _Lev mused. At least the boy knew the basics of Magecraft which lightened the load of having to explain everything to him.

Despite that, Fujimaru was still inferior in every way as a magus in comparison to the other candidates. But his untrained magic circuits were still of high enough quality to allow him to form a servant contract and be converted into spiritrons for the purpose of Rayshifting should he ever be needed.

He was gifted in two areas at least. His potential as a master was the highest they had ever seen from any candidates they had recorded, a clear one-hundred percent if he remembered correctly. It also seemed that his intelligence was not what he had expected from an average high schooler.

The moment earlier had Lev rethink. While he was no expert on the machinery used in creating the many robots here in Chaldea, what little he knew was the technology being used were one of the more complex that no average high school teen could possibly decipher in seconds.

He was naturally gifted in intellect, from what the agent that sent Fujimaru here was to be believed, Fujimaru seemed to specialize in hardware, computers, and robotics if earlier was to be expected.

"If you don't mind, Mister Fujimaru." Lev spoke up. "We have overlooked your designs, and have sent it to the higher ups in the Science Division to review it." He revealed.

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Y-You did?!" He gulped, scratching the back of his head as he looked away. "That's embarrassing… I didn't have the time to finish any of the schematics yet." He groaned, much to Lev's mirth.

"Don't worry, boy. The Science Division were very impressed at your findings." Lev told him with a smile. "Especially one project in particular."

"R-Really?"

"I assure you, and if you want to, you can swing by after the Orientation and ask them yourself." Lev replied.

The report had stated the designs that teen had made was sent here for the Science Division to review prior to the boy's arrival, yet surprisingly, even the more experienced had a hard time completely understanding the technologies and ideas Fujimaru had designed. Lev also took note that the report had mentioned that the teen memorized all of his school books on his second day of school, and found even the most advanced topics at the academy he was placed in to be out of date.

If Fujimaru wanted to, his curiosity for the unknown and need to understand how things work would easily drive him ambitiously to new heights. If the teen strived to, he could become one of the Engineering Division's top tier assets in the future.

"That's a relief…" Ritsuka sighed. "Out of curiosity, which project were they interested in?" He asked.

"Hmm…" Lev rubbed his chin in thought. "I believe it was the exoskeleton suit they were inquiring about?"

"The Prototype?" Ritsuka said, muttering to himself. "Should've guessed that's what they were curious about." He chuckled to himself. "Kinda 'out-genuised' myself when I designed it." He grinned.

"I can't help but agree, Mister Fujimaru." Lev nodded. "Even the Directress was impressed." He mentioned.

"The Directress too…" The teen repeated, feeling a slight sense of pride when he was told that.

"For a moment at least." Lev cut off the boy's mental victory short. "It takes many things for her to be impressed, you can count yourself lucky your talents had caught her attention." He said. "She can be a bit troublesome to deal with."

"She can't be that bad."

"Oh trust me boy, she's worse."

* * *

Ritsuka steeled himself, finding himself in front of twin doors that led to the director's office.

Raising a hand, he knocked on the door with a hollow knock that echoed through the empty hallway.

A second passed, then muffled female voice spoke up from the other side.

_"Enter."_

'_Okay then.' _Ritsuka thought and closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose. _'No pressure, you got this.'_

Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the doors.

He was greeted by the sight of a girl who could not have been few months older than he was. Her long white hair flowed neatly behind her, tied into a braid over her left side. Her black and orange vest buttoned up only at the middle, which trailed down to reveal a white skirt and red stockings.

Despite her youthful face, her strict and stern frown and posture gave her an air of nobility and aristocracy that reminded Ritsuka of most magus that resided in the Clock Tower.

"Welcome, master candidate number forty-nine." She started. "My name is Olga Marie Animusphere, the director of Chaldea. Please, have a seat and we can discuss business."

The black haired teen nodded slowly and silently made his way towards the chair across her desk.

Sitting down, he took a moment to glance around the room in curiosity.

The office was certainly fancy. A bookshelf at the side held numerous relics and trophies. A few pictures placed on the table nearby. While he didn't recognize any of the adults, a younger Olga Mariewas present in some of them, looking happier in the photos compared to the older girl in front of him who seemed to want to freeze him in place from how cold her stare was.

"First off, has Lev explained what Chaldea is?" Olga asked.

"Uh…" Ritsuka gave himself a second to think. "A facility that gathers talent from all fields for the advancement of mankind?" He said.

Olga arched an eyebrow.

"That's a horribly simple way of explaining things around here," She sighed and shook her head. "Very well. I guess it's my job as director to explain further."

Ritsuka nodded politely, but only continued to receive a glare from her.

"Then listen up and pay attention because I'm only going to say this once." She raised her voice, crossing her arms as her eyes sharpened. "Chaldea is not just some normal facility, but a U.N sanctioned institution backed up by the Clock Tower Association. What we do here is highly classified and top secret, for the goal we strive towards is not one to scoff at. Understand?"

"Yes Ma'am." Ritsuka gulped.

"Chaldea does not exist to advance humanity. We exist to protect it. To do this, we monitor both the past and future respectively in order to be aware of threats in advance. This is all thanks to the brilliance of our previous director of course. Without him, none of this would be possible."

A small twinkle shone in her eyes and Ritsuka's own eyes widened in growing curiosity.

"Monitoring both the past and future?" The teen repeated. "Amazing!" He exclaimed, much to Olga's surprise. "How do you do it? All of the concepts I read up about treading through the past and future are mostly theories and jargon!" He said, a smile growing as his inner scientist started to come out. "But if you are doing all of these… why do you need me?"

Olga blinked for a moment before she rolled her eyes. "How we monitor the past and future would require at least a three-hour long lecture and that is time I'm not willing to spend on someone like you. If you must insist to know about it, you may ask Lev later." She said.

"And for why you're here... well, it's obvious, is it not? You need to send to send a soldier to eliminate a threat, after all."

"Seriously?" Ritsuka shifted in his seat. Him of all people?

He really wasn't much of a fighter, more of a techno-rat, to be honest, a tinkerer and inventor.

"I mean, I don't want to sound rude but…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sure there are other people more qualified for that. I'm not really good at magecraft-"

"Don't you think we know that?" Olga cut him off as she glared at him. "You're hopelessly average and you're magical circuits are sub-par at best." The girl pointed out and Ritsuka frowned as she continued. "You would be destroyed if you were to face any threat you face."

Ouch. The black haired teen winced, that was a sting to his pride, but what did he really expect from a magus? Especially one who looked like she hailed from a higher standing of magus.

"Regardless, you're not going to be the one doing most of the fighting. Your potential as a master is something which will mostly remove you out of the equation." She glanced at him.

"You have heard of the Holy Grail War, yes?

He blinked. "Holy... Grail War? You mean-"

Olga nodded. "Yes. The secret war in Fuyuki city where seven heroic figures are summoned back into the world in order to fight over the wish-granting device. Here at Chaldea, we developed a system that replicated that summoning ritual." She frowned. "Or at least... we are working on it. As of now, we only have one successful summoning of a heroic spirit." The girl said before she shook her head.

"Nevertheless, your presence here should hopefully help speed things along."

"I see..."

He had heard of the Holy Grail War before. From passing rumors and hushed whisperings around the Clock Tower. He had been warned before to stay away from that city, where even the most powerful of magus shy away from the city. It was a place where blood and shady rituals occurred daily.

"Our Science Division, who are working on it will want to see you later." Olga said. "They want to discuss your workings around the exoskeleton you have developed." She explained. "After that, I suppose you will be able to join the others in our first mission for humanity."

"Okay then." The teen nodded. "I'm sure I can get on to that." Ritsuka said, a bit miffed. He was certainly not a lone wolf, but he didn't really trust people he had not yet met tinkering with his work.

"I'm sure there's other things I can do here in the meantime right?" Ritsuka asked.

She narrowed her eyes. "Nonsense. Despite that, you're still basic magus with minimal magical aptitude. Many here have already graduated from college or possess skills that eclipse others."

Ritsuka's eye twitched.

_'What is her problem?'_

Irritated at her demeaning words, he opened his mouth and fired back.

"You don't look that much older than me."

He could have sworn the air in the room had dropped a few degrees, the directress stopped in surprise, which turned to anger as she leveled her most vicious glare at him, conveying a barely restrained urge to blast him with a spell or rune that higher magus knew.

Olga seethed. "I'll have you know that I've already had a college-level education before I was fifteen, Mister Fujimaru. I have passed my studies with flying colors and could easily get into any school or university that I wanted! If it were not for my father-"

Then she stopped, pausing, a hint of remorse and sadness in her eyes as her lips tugged downwards at the mention of her father, which made Ritsuka quirk an eyebrow.

"_Admittedly_, your intelligence is nothing to scoff at." She conceded to that begrudgingly, almost sounding pained when she had to concede on who was smarter. "Your creations, along with your contributions has benefited the Science Division in the long run." The white haired girl said, her glare still intact. "However, just because you are gifted does not mean you can talk back to your superior as a magus and as the director of this Organization. _Do not_ question my ability to lead this facility, do you understand?" Olga hissed.

Ritsuka nodded silently, a frown etched on his face. While he still had a few choice words in return he wisely shut his mouth.

Olga inhaled, then exhaled in a way to calm herself before she reached into a drawer and took out a keycard and threw it on the table roughly.

"Your key to your quarters." Was all she said.

The black haired teen grasped it, and pocketed it as he stood up.

"Now get out before I get a headache."

* * *

"Geez…" Ritsuka rubbed his arm as the doors closed behind him. "Do all mages have sticks up their asses or what?"

"I see you managed to anger the director if that expression on your face is any indication." Lev chuckled as he approached him, a hand on his hip.

"Anger isn't the word I'd use." The teen muttered. "She looked like she was ready to tear me to bits."

"Be lucky that you caught her on a good day." Lev said, and Ritsuka looked at him and blinked owlishly.

'_That's how she acts on a good day?' _He thought, shuddering inwardly at any poor soul that ticked the director's temper on a bad day.

Ignoring his stare, Lev continued. "While her attitude is to be desired, Olga ultimately means well in the end, she just does not know how to express it around people her age, due to her unfortunate circumstance." The man sighed, then shook his head. "But never mind that, for that is a topic for another day, let us resume our walk."

Ritsuka looked like he wanted the man to elaborate more, but dropped it in lieu of following him into another corridor he had not yet passed. The two continued on in comfortable silence as they walked through the white halls of Chaldea. Shortly after, the two stopped in front of another set of doors that had a large green cross imbedded onto the wall. The medical facility, the master candidate guessed as they walked in.

Inside, the teen found himself in a row of advanced medical beds that hovered a few inches from the floor and built onto the walls as holographic monitors were placed in front of the headboard of each bed as curtains were mounted on each side for privacy. On the side, was a simple white table with a computer and desk chair that was empty.

"Looks like it hasn't been used in a while." Ritsuka commented.

"Indeed. Our staff here in Chaldea know how to safe and away from the medical facility. We rarely have more than three filled up at a time." Lev said. "Anyways, I'm going to leave you with a friend of mine, he'll be the one to take care of you from here on out."

"Roman! Are you here?" Lev called out, only to be greeted with silence.

"Professor Lev?" A feminine and quiet voice was heard from behind them.

The two turned to the newcomer standing in the doorway. A girl, who looked at least a year or two younger than the master candidate. Lavender eyes framed with glasses met Ritsuka's own blues, while her lilac hair fell down just below her chin as bangs covered the left side of her face. She wore a grey hoodie with a black vest over a white collared shirt. A red tie wrapped around her neck with a black skirt and tights and brown shoes completing her look.

"Ah, Mash." Lev smiled at her. "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for Doctor Roman." The girl—Mash—mumbled meekly, sneaking a few glances at Ritsuka. "When I came here, he was nowhere to be found."

"He must be slacking off again, then…" The man sighed. "It can't be helped. Seeing as I'm already running late, Mash will you be as kind as to get our new master candidate here and get him settled in? I have things to do so I'm counting on you."

"Absolutely, Professor Lev." Mash nodded.

The man in green smiled at her in thanks, before he tipped his hat to Ritsuka. "We'll be seeing each other around, Mister Fujimaru. In the meantime, please make sure to follow Mash here. She'll lead you right where you need to be."

With that, Lev swiftly exited the medical room, leaving the two teens standing in the empty room, alone.

Mash fidgeted from her spot across from him, glancing at him occasionally.

Ritsuka groaned inwardly.

'_Well this is awkward…'_

"Sooo…" The black haired teen drawled out, breaking the silence. "Are we going or…?"

Mash snapped out of her trance and nodded. "A-Ah! Yes! Follow me, Senpai." She said, and Ritsuka nodded as the two quickly exited the facility and into the hallway.

'_Did she just call me Senpai?' _The teen thought before shrugging, Senpai? Wouldn't that be the other way around since she knew more than him about Chaldea? Or was she referring to his age? She didn't look that younger than him, in fact, he'd wager so that she might be at least a year or two, give or take—

"Oof!"

The teen was too busy fixated on his thoughts that he recoiled in surprise as Mash let out a gasp of surprise when Ritsuka felt a sudden force sent him stumbling back as he barreled headlong into someone. The teen opened his mouth to apologize, only for the one he had knocked over to speak up.

"Hey!" The irritated voice groaned, "Watch where you're going, asshole!"

Messy silver hair and a pair of golden eyes glared at him. Ritsuka noted that his black and grey ensemble of an outfit meant that whoever this was, was not a normal Chaldean employee.

Nevertheless, he felt that he had offended him. "Sorry about that!" The Master candidate offered a hand to help him up, "My names Fujimaru Ritsuka, I hope I didn't-"Only for it to be shoved away as the other teen stood up on his own, dusting off his coat as he stayed his surly gaze at him.

"Kadoc-san!" Mash came to his aid. "Senpai didn't mean to bump into you! He's new here!" She defended him.

"…Fujimaru, right?" The other teen's rough voice repeated as he stared at him. Ritsuka looked confused.

"Yup, that's me."

The silver haired boy didn't say anything, but his glare had intensified and he clutched at his jacket, staring at the black haired teen with anger… and jealousy?

Kadoc let out a 'tch', before directed his gaze to Mash. "Whatever." He scoffed before he stepped aside. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Was all he said, then proceeded to walk away.

As the teen disappeared, Mash turned to Ritsuka. "Please don't be offended, Senpai." She said. "Kadoc-san is usually like that with everybody."

"There goes first impressions." Ritsuka huffed depressingly as they crossed an intersection and proceeded to enter the corridor to the right-

"Fou!"

Just as they rounded the corridor, a white fluffy ball of _something_ whizzed forward and pounced on Mash, startling Ritsuka.

"Watch out!"

"No, no, no! This is normal!" The girl assured as the creature climbed her body. "Fou likes to attack my face, slide around my back, and settle on my shoulder." She explained just as the animal perched itself on her right. "See?"

"Oooh… kay, then…" Ritsuka mumbled as he stared at the creature in surprise.

"I guess I have to introduce the two of you then." Mash said, and outstretched her arm and let the creature hop on to her palm. The girl held it up to Ritsuka, who leaned forward in curiosity. "Fou, meet Senpai. Senpai, Fou." She giggled.

"Hey there, little guy." Ritsuka smiled at the animal.

Fou stared back at the human, and squeaked as the teen leaned closer, before licking his face.

"He's friendly, at least." The master candidate remarked, returning the animal's gesture by petting its head.

"He normally doesn't go near anyone besides me, but he seems to have taken a liking to you, Senpai." Mash remarked, a smile on her face as Fou chirped. "Congratulations on becoming the second caretaker of Fou here in Chaldea."

"I wouldn't mind." Ritsuka chuckled.

Now with Fou, they continued their walk in comfortable silence through the white halls. Passing by the windowed hallway that provided a view of the mountains of Antarctica covered in heaps and piles of snow. Minutes later, Mash stopped just in front of a door and turned to him.

"We've arrived." She spoke. "This is our destination. Your quarters, Senpai."

Ritsuka walked forward, and skimmed the keycard over the scanner and the door released a beep, before sliding open. As expected, the room provided the basic necessary furniture. A simple white bed next to a monitor with a glass table at the side, a large potted plant near a shelf that was empty.

Setting his bag down on the bed, he turned to the girl with a grateful look on his face. "Thanks, for bringing me here, Mash."

"It's fine, if you ask me, Senpai." Mash smiled at him. "I wouldn't mind even if it's treating you to lunch."

"Kyu… Kyu…!" Fou squeaked.

"Fou says that he'll look after you, Senpai. That sets my mind at ease." The younger girl translated for him. "Now then, I'm off. I hope we meet again, soon." Offering one last smile, she left.

'_Hm. Weird girl.' _Ritsuka mused. _'But she's nice either way.'_

Just as he was about to unpack, the sounds of footsteps from behind him caught his attention. Small shuffling cane from the back and a muffled sigh as the door slid open and a man casually entered.

"_Aaaah! _It's about time for a nice nap now and then—" The man stopped and blinked. "Eh?"

Ritsuka turned and rose an eyebrow.

The man wore an outfit similar to doctor's uniform, only modified to fit the style Chaldea had with its staff's uniforms. It was accented with green in the middle with a pin shaped in the symbol of the organization. His hair was orange and fluffy, flowing behind him freely. He looked youthful, probably only in his twenties or thirties or something.

"Who are you?" The teen questioned him.

"I should be asking you that!" The orange haired man exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "This should be an empty room! It's where I slack off—er, rest! Who gave you permission to come in?"

"I was told it was my room…" Ritsuka flatly answered, watching the gears turning in the man's head.

"Your room? This place?" He muttered, before realization dawned on him and he snapped his fingers. "Oh! You must be the last candidate, Fujimaru, right?" The man asked.

"You know me?"

The orange haired man rubbed the back of his head. "Sort of." He coughed into his hand. "Didn't really think I would run into you like this, but let me introduce myself." He straightened his back and smiled at him. "I'm Doctor Romani Archaman, but you can call me Roman, it's what most people tend to call me here. I'm the head of the medical facility." He extended his hand in greeting.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru. Nice to meet you." The two shook hands, and surprisingly the teen felt comfortable around the man, even if they just met, no matter how weird that may have sounded. Roman was friendly and that was a plus in his eyes. "How did you know my name?"

"You've been the buzzing topic around the Science Division here, lately." The doctor revealed. "I'm sure you probably already heard of them interested in one of your projects, it's been a big help in advancing the robotics here." He said.

"Well… I'm just glad to help." Ritsuka smiled as Roman chuckled.

"You did more than just help; you know?" Roman started, smiling. "If the prototype armor of yours works as intended, then soon enough, they would be able to produce a Mystic Code powerful enough to provide masters such as yourself with additional support and protection in the battlefield." He said. "Unfortunately, they only finished one, and it's still a prototype, but I'm sure with you here, things would be smooth sailing from here."

"Thanks…" The master candidate sheepishly muttered, preening under the praise.

"_Would all Master candidates please report to the Control room. The director we'll begin orientation in short notice before starting the first mission. Please report immediately."_

"Guess that's your cue, then." Roman said. "It's a shame we didn't have enough time to talk, but we'll have plenty after your first Reyshift to Chaldea's very first mission for humanity."

Ritsuka nodded, and began to make his way to the door before he stopped and turned to the Doctor.

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, me?" Roman blinked, before he yawned and sat on the bed. "I think I'll stick around here for a while, you don't mind, do you?" He asked sheepishly.

"Knock yourself out, Doc." The Master candidate gave him a thumbs-up, before he exited his living quarters and made his way to his designated area.

* * *

Finding the way to the control room was harder than he had thought. It seemed that even if Professor Lev had given him a tour, there were still parts of the facility that the teen didn't know and that cost him greatly as he wandered the hallways in a daze.

After a few minutes of what felt like walking around in circles, Ritsuka eventually approached an employee and politely asked her where the control room was.

He turned a corner, then entered another corridor of white, before he took the first exit situated on the right, the black haired boy bounded forward and advanced down the passageway, and then—

It was at that moment that lights cut off.

'_What?'_

Was his first thought, as he jerked his head upwards in surprise at the sudden blackout that ensued, the only light source emanating were the emergency lights that were situated on each side of the hallway he was in. Shaking his head, the teen continued on his way to the control room, ignoring the surprise power outage.

Then the sirens flared.

It was loud and powerful, filling the once silent corridor with noise as Ritsuka started to gain concern as he moved faster to the central hub with noticeable worry on his face.

Not for long, he started to run as the sirens continued blaring in the distance. He stumbled and nearly tripped as he did, the blackness that blanketed the hallways not giving him enough visibility to even so much as walk.

The familiar path of the Science Division greeted him, but the teen rounded a corner, ignoring it entirely.

Then he saw a flare of light, a bridge connecting to the other part of Chaldea and at the end stood a gate. Quickly, he crossed the bridge without hesitance as the larger doors slid open with a hiss.

The control room.

He ran faster and then—

"Gah!"

Ritsuka hit the ground with a thud as he shielded himself.

A series of new flashes broke out, lifting and spreading the incandescent radioactive gasses, and then a great gush of flame rose, filling the control room and escaping through the sections destroyed by the blast wave. Columns and supports collapsed, and screams from the other masters were heard from the other side.

Daringly, he opened his eyes and stood up, running towards the others.

He never saw the explosive charge a few feet away from him before it was too late.

* * *

Pain.

_Awful and excruciating pain._

Ritsuka let out a choked wheeze as the smoke invaded in his lungs.

'_God, it hurts!'_

Pain seared through his body better than a branding iron, his mind conceding to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion. Yet, somehow, he had managed to lift his upper body as he let out a gasp all the while the pain burns and radiates.

His vision was blurry, but through the smoke and fires, the teen could spot holes that the control room now supported, a massive tear in the wall in particular that led to the Science Division's laboratories, and he watched as all the tools and robotics fell and crashed into the pavement.

Clang.

The sound of something heavy crashed and skidded nearby, his eyes traveled to it and widened, having caught glance of a familiar object that gleamed through the burning room.

Slowly but surely, he crawled towards it. Pain shot from his body like electricity every time he moved, but Ritsuka was determined as he grunted and heaved, uncaring if he was dragging his wounds across the ground.

His mind screamed out as the pain drove through his chest. Every thought he just had become confused as the searing pain poked and prodded up his body like a sharp metal knife infused with fire.

His hand shot up towards the container, and he grabbed onto it, using it as a crutch as his hand pressed the glowing button on the middle.

It hummed, then split open down the middle with a hiss, revealing the contents inside.

Ritsuka didn't waste any time and grabbed the first thing his hands came in contact.

He lifted it up.

Then put the helmet around his head.

The face plate slid down with a resounding clang.

"_**Chaldea Exo-Suit activated. Identified, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Master candidate number forty-eight."**_

The hud appeared almost immediately, glitching as it did. _**"Scanning, alert."**_The AI's calm, and monotone voice spoke_. __**"Medical Systems detect damage to user's heart, and chest. Treatment in progress**_**."**

Ritsuka wheezed and coughed up blood as the cold metal armor slowly encased the rest of his body like a futuristic coffin.

"_**Detected one life form."**_The AI informed. _**"Identified, Mash Kyrielight."**_

"_System switching to final phase of Reyshift. Coordinates, AD 2004, January thirtieth, Fuyuki, Japan."_ The speaker overhead announced.

Despite the protesting of his body, the black haired teen willed himself to stand, albeit shakily and proceeded to Mash. The suit had helped him bountifully, providing him a good enough balance to not fall over even if he desperately wanted to.

"_Preparing final adjustments."_

He hobbled his way towards her, and collapsed on one knee as Mash weakly looked up. Her initial confusion was replaced by content satisfaction when the face plate slid up and revealed Ritsuka.

"Sen…pai…" She smiled a bloody smile.

"Save your breath, Mash." The older of the two grunted. "Just hang for a minute, I'll get you out of there."

"…It's all… right…" Mash assured him. "You… can't save me…"

"Shut it!" Ritsuka gritted his teeth. "I can do this." He gasped out in pain and he faltered, his heart feeling like it could burst at any second as a metal hand instinctively grabbed his chest, covered by chromatic, metal plating.

Mash's voice faltered and wavered. "…Please… save… her… instead…" Weakly, her hand lifted, and she pointed to the side.

Ritsuka's eyes followed her finger, and he widened his eyes.

Within the debris, just a few feet away, was another person.

The black haired teen looked back at Mash, only to see an encouraging smile on her face as she looked at the person nearby them. The teen changed his gaze back to the unconscious body.

"_Reyshift requirement not met. Searching for qualifying Masters… found."_ The voice blared up again. _"Candidate number forty-eight, Ritsuka Fujimaru."_

Ritsuka felt tears well up in his eyes. He shut them tightly and forcefully, then nodded.

He grasped Mash's hand and smiled at her.

"Even if we had just met, thank you for everything, Mash." He whispered to her as he stood up.

"Th…ank…ou…en…pai…"

Ritsuka gritted his teeth, and the face plate slid down, hiding his emotions from the rest of the world, before moving forward.

As he approached the body, the black haired teen knelt down and brushed the strays of orange locks that covered the unconscious girl's face, then leaned forward.

"**Read vitals." **Ritsuka ordered, his voice altered digitally.

"_**Heartbeat detected." **_The AI chimed. _**"Identified, Gudako Tachibana. Master candidate number thirty-six."**_

Gently, he scooped her up in a carry, being careful as to not open any injuries she may have sustained during the explosion.

"_Program start. Spiriton Conversion, start."_

He carefully walked to Mash's spot and set the orange haired girl down as gently as he could. Before he could do anything else, particles started to appear, shifting and hovering as Ritsuka looked around in shock.

"**What?!"**

"_Reyshift commencing in 3…_

_2…_

_1…"_

Ritsuka clamped his eyes shut.

"_All procedures clear. First Order, commencing operation."_

Then the world twisted around him.

* * *

**As I said, this is an experimental story since I'm out of my comfort zone. I'm really afraid to touch FGO's story. But if you guys are interested and want to see more, then I'll gladly consider.**

**Which servant do you want to see summoned? Which pairings do you think will most likely prevail? Feel free to throw your hat in and guess.**

**In the mean time I'll be checking the reviews.**

**See ya.**


	2. Chapter 2

**For a bit of info: The Exo-Suit Ritsuka's wearing resembles the armor from the Iron Man Armored Adventures series, only colored chromatic silver, because you know, prototype.**

**REVIEW! FOR IT SATIATES MY HUNGER!**

**Also because it motivates me to write more.**

**A side note however, please **_**do not**_** go to my other stories review section and just simply write, "UpDatE WhEn?!" Seriously, don't. It really just grinds on my nerves and make me lose my will to write. A review section is for **_**reviewing**_** or **_**commenting **_**only. I want to hear your feedback on my stories, comments, suggestions, and all that. I don't like being notified that someone left a review on my story, only to see when I'm gonna update another story, it really zaps the energy out of me.**

**Sorry for the rant. I just had to get it off my chest.**

**Enjoy, chapter 2 of,**

**TO BE A HERO**

* * *

Ritsuka admit.

Reyshifting was an... unpleasant experience.

By the time the world seemingly bent around him, he felt the armor and his body deconstruct at a cellular level and forcefully re-manifest in a point of… location? Time? Era?

Whatever.

He landed on the ground with a metallic _thud_!

The teen groaned, and a second later an additional thump came crashing, revealing to be Gudako who remained unconscious.

His head was spinning, from the reality warping transportation that they had first class seats to ride in. It was already perturbing to begin with. But luckily he didn't feel all that dizzying for now. What he did feel however, was the still strained and constricting pain in his chest that seemed to grab at his heart at an iron grip, threateningly squeezing it like a pulp. It hurt like he wouldn't believe. Thankfully, the armor had at least provided treatment. Temporarily as it is, but if it managed to lessen the pain he was in, he would gladly take it.

And it was at this moment Gudako awoke.

Rather violently at that.

Ritsuka snapped his head towards the sound of choked regurgitation and watched as Gudako doubled over and lost the remnants of her lunch. No doubt from the sudden warping they had done. Ritsuka felt a bit more thankful that the suit had managed to stabilize him, because he knew without it, he'd be in the same situation the redhead was in, he'd guessed that even those with a stronger stomach would have found themselves nauseous upon their first reyshifting.

Harsh color flooded Gudako's cheeks as her body convulsed violently. The girl desperately fought to bring herself back under control, but her queasy stomach stubbornly refused and did the opposite, resulting her heaving on the ground once more.

She felt a shape of a hand pull her fiery red hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach. The offending appendage felt cold and metallic, but she was still grateful for the one who helped alleviate some of the pain as the other hand landed on her shoulder.

"Please." Gudako gagged, her voice rough and sore. "Make it stop."

Ritsuka furrowed his eyebrows behind the helmet and moved the hand that was on the girl's shoulder to her back. A faint glow of a healing spell he had been taught during his time at the Clock Tower made contact with Gudako's back. A few moments passed, and the girl stood shakily on her two feet, Ritsuka supporting her.

"Thank-" She coughed. "-you, whoever you are."

Her eyes glanced at the metal man that stood next to her.

He was around her height, albeit a bit taller than her. A chromatic silver color scheme was washed the armor overall and throughout. Various flaps and sleek metal gave the armor a more streamlined appearance while the circular arc was holed in the middle radiated the same white glow to the slits at the face.

Speaking of, a hiss was heard from the helmet, and part of the face slid up to reveal a face of a tired young man around her age was revealed.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru." He spoke, the tiredness evident in his voice. "Master candidate number forty-eight." The teen revealed.

"Gudako Tachibana. Master candidate number thirty-six." She introduced herself, before groaning when pain flashed in her head. "Ugh, what happened? I remembered being late to the Orientation, and I arrived just in time, but then suddenly everything went up to high hell."

"I don't know what happened myself, but when I arrived I saw you in some rubble." Ritsuka replied. "I got you out, but before I could the control room suddenly went haywire and sent us… here…"

His voice trailed off, dying a swift death as the black haired teen's expression slowly twisted to shock and growing horror.

"No…" Was the only word Ritsuka managed to utter in his distressed state as his eyes roamed his surroundings.

"This… This can't be…." The boy stammered looking at a charred statue nearby them. "This can't be real…" His voice quivered.

Gudako didn't notice the appalled expression etched into her fellow Master's face until she saw it herself.

"W-What the hell?!" Gudako exclaimed.

Hell was an accurate word to describe it. It looked like a desolate wasteland from some post-apocalyptic flick she had seen a few one, too many times. The sky itself was painted red as fires that surrounded them seemed to reach the skies and smoke had risen to block out the moon, shadowed by dark reddish clouds. The streets surrounding them were utterly devoid of life, the pavement was upturned and cracked as though something the girl would rather not encounter had brought ruin to it.

Collapsed and devastated buildings that once was a construction of glass and steel stood scorched and pitted, the insides blacked out into shadows while fires raged in the distance. It made it hard to breath, and it made her choke as she took a step back and tried to steady herself by leaning on a blackened statue that—

She shrieked when the statue broke and a very _real_ human hand fell to the ground. Then the smell of burning flesh hit her nostrils and she resisted the urge to puke once more.

"Oh… god…"

Only then Gudako realized what Ritsuka was alluding to, and the girl planted a hand over her mouth in horror.

These… statues were not statues as she'd first assumed. Instead, these were people, once, living beings like them, now petrified within the last moments of their life. Many hands and arms stretched out in a desperate attempt to search for help that would never be realized, each and every faces etched with terror as many figures around them looked to have tried running away from someone.

Or _something_.

Others were rendered into stone, strangely, but she didn't believe it was a better alternative than the first. A few unlucky ones however, were just no little more than charred parts, incomplete and missing, just like their surroundings. It was as if the whole world had been assaulted by fire and brimstone, as if the devil himself came from hell with his minions and decided that this was the day humanity would perish.

"What… the… what the _fuck_?!" Gudako swore, Ritsuka remained speechless.

This was a world that lost its tracks. A world gone wrong. A world that lost its way.

What else could the girl say? There was nothing to say. Was this what awaited them? Was this a so-called Singularity that the people in Chaldea spouted about?

If so, she never wanted to enter one again. If this was what waited for them, hundreds of dead bodies, devoid of any life, all burnt and charred and—

Gudako gagged.

"I think I'm going to be sick again."

Ritsuka's heart ached, not just from the pain, but for the people that had lost their lives trying to run away from _whatever _had caused this tragedy to happen. Was this what the director has been talking about? Saving humanity? Entering Singularities? He'd thought that entering Chaldea's mission with a rational angle would help him ease his mind. So that he could distance himself emotionally from whatever would come his way. He was a scientist at heart, someone who would always look at things and think possible and realistic outcomes and logic. But… this…only now did he realize how impossible that was.

Gudako's gaze landed to a charred figure of a brother leading his sibling away from the crossfire. Then a mother clutching her baby boy to her chest, her face speaking volumes as her final moments were etched, she died singing a lullaby to her child as she shielded her from the unknown horror. From a distance away, was a man who threw himself onto a hood of a car. In another spot, a father who blocked his son's eyes and used himself as a meat shield for his son from the _thing _that would eventually turned everyone into literal shells of their former selves.

All of them were frozen in time, it looked just like that one portrait that she remembered looking up on online, _Pompeii_. The tragedy in the once great city of old replicated here, everyone in stone, in ash and death and broken or charred flesh. Jesus, what the _fuck_? How many people had died here? How many children burned in the flames? Was anyone left alive? Someone has to be alive right? They can't all be dead… right?

Right?

"We…we need to get a move on." Ritsuka advised. "We have to find out what happened—"

A rustle from the debris.

Gudako's head perked up to the sound. For a moment her heart leaped.

A survivor?

It was her first thought. Her second was to scamper forward and she did, her empathy betrayed her, took over the logical side that she usually didn't listen to. She followed her heart first and foremost, and it told her to save whoever was trapped under the rubble—despite Ritsuka's shout.

Why was he telling her to stay back? Couldn't he see someone was there? Her hands tore at the burning debris, and it stung her unprotected flesh but she ignored it, pulling aside a shattered stone as she ignored Ritsuka shouting behind her, her mind thinking only to help, only to aid whomever was trapped beneath. Ritsuka had helped her in the very same situation this poor soul was in, why couldn't she?

"I-I got you!" Gudako gritted her teeth and pulled the last remaining concrete.

Only then did she realize her mistake.

A bony hand seized her own.

It wasn't human.

Empty eyes of a hollow skeleton gazed back at her mere moments before the knife came from one of the monster's hand had sliced into her cheek. Without even taking a time to think, she snapped at it, forcefully breaking the grip and her foot swung up at the creature, the tip of her white shoes striking the chin of the thing's skull and sent it staggering backwards. Another one arose beside her, clad in ruined rags of what might've been clothes once. It seized her and she gave out a yelp, despite its spindly frame, the skeleton was stronger than she suspected and she could only watch with widened eyes as it raised a dagger in the air and—

She heard a whirring of gears from behind her, then felt the creature that grabbed her fall with a thud onto the ground, the knife clanging on the ground uselessly.

The low hum akin to an engine came from the armor her fellow Master wore as he lowered his fist, his expression hidden once more by the emotionless faceplate of metal that protected him.

Another one rose from the wreckage some good feet away from them and charged towards them, aiming for Ritsuka's back with a sword in hand.

Gudako's threw her hand forward.

"GANDR!"

The reddish spell shot forward like a bullet and sped past the black haired teen and into the creature, blasting through its skeletal frame easily, and fell down just as quick.

More awakened from the rubble, but all fell rather swiftly, either by fist or spell, or a boot to the face.

For all their rather unsettling looks, the monsters could barely touch them let alone hurt them. When one did manage to land a blow on Ritsuka, the sword bounced against the metallic armor uselessly and it died shortly after. The two dispatched the undead relatively easy despite the advantage of numbers the creatures had against them. Really, the assault on them just distracted the two, and it quickly fell and ended rather sooner than they had expected.

Gudako inhaled, then exhaled through her nose between panted breaths. She was certainly far from being a chump in stamina, but as soon as the adrenaline ran off, she felt the stress come back. She glanced at Ritsuka, and saw that he, too, looked tired, more so than her. His shoulders were slouched, and while his armored fists were raised in the air, she could see his shoulders noticeably rising up and down between the labored breathing she could hear from him.

She approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"**I'm… fine."** Ritsuka replied between coughs, his voice altered by the helmet. He grunted and lowered his fists as he straightened himself. **"Just a bit winded is all."** He assured his fellow Master, who nodded in return. **"For now, we should focus finding what happened here and fast—"**

Gudako turned her head. "Wait, what is that?!" She alerted him, her finger pointed a distant point on the horizon.

From within the suit, Ritsuka glanced at a new window popped up from the hud in the helmet. _**"Multiple projectiles detected."**_

…What?

As if waiting for that very statement a crimson star rocketed up in the distance from a nearby building. The two turned toward that brilliant burst of light from afar, watching as it soared high up into the blackened like a red firework. However, rather than detonate in a short-lived burst of light as they'd expect or hoped, it completed its arc and grew larger and larger, swooping down towards them like a falling star...

"**We have to move now!"**

It was too late.

Then descended on the two Masters like a meteor made of arrows.

Ritsuka rushed forward and moved in front of the redhead.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Gudako screamed at him, she moved in hopes that Ritsuka could move but the teen didn't budge.

"**Protecting you—what do you think I'm doing!?" **Ritsuka barked back as the struggling girl tried to get out of his grip.

"You're going to kill yourself!" The redhead argued. "Idiot! Don't try playing the hero! You'll die!"

"**It's better me than the both of us!"**

The twisted volley of arrows came down on them and Ritsuka prepared for the worst and Gudako screamed for him to let go.

Only for a harsh clang to sound out.

Ritsuka whipped his head around at the sound, and his eyes widened behind his helmet.

"**Mash?!"**

The young girl looked different than he had last saw her. There were no bruises or blood like before, her face and body looked clean. She now supported dark armor with a hole exposing her stomach, black gauntlets and boots and a garter on her right thigh.

In her hands was an abnormally large shield in the shape of a cross that blocked out the arrows from coming any further.

"I'll explain later, Senpai, Gudako-san." The purple haired girl turned her head towards them, strangely calm for the situation they were in. "For now, please stay down."

By the time the assault of arrows had stopped and the smoke had cleared, the concrete around them had caved in, forming a small crater where the small part of the street they stood in being the only part untouched thanks to Mash's shield.

The three stood in silence before Gudako broke it.

"Did it… did it stop?"

"Whoever was behind that attack retreated." Mash informed them.

"**What happened to you? I thought you were gone but…" **Ritsuka asked, relieved that the girl was safe and looked to be as better than ever, but still had questions in his head.

"How did you do that?" Gudako looked at her in curiosity and awe. "That doesn't look like any type of Magecraft I know, and that outfit…" She trailed off when she glanced down.

Mash flushed in embarrassment when Gudako looked at the girl's exposed belly. The redhead noticed the younger girl's flushed expression and opted to look away and coughed awkwardly.

"This—"

An explosion rocketed from behind them, and the three turned to see smoke start to rise higher within the heart of the city.

A click from the armor caught Ritsuka's attention. He looked down, and the plate that cover the back of his left hand slid back with a hiss, revealing an intricate markings colored red emblazed on his hand.

"A command seal…" Gudako muttered in surprise. "But who did you contract with? Unless…"

Realization dawned on both Ritsuka and Gudako, and they looked at Mash.

"I'll explain later." The girl assured them. "For now, your orders, Master."

"**We need to start investigating this whole mess and get out of here." **Ritsuka said. Thankfully, his heart and chest pains had died down a bit for him to think more clearly and he glanced at a 3D holographic display of his armor, giving a small smirk when he looked at the boots. **"Suit, I need a good view from above, how's the thrusters?" **

Both girls looked confused at he said that.

"_**Thrust capacity is at ninety-eight percent."**_

"…Did that armor just talk?"

"**AI." **Ritsuka answered Gudako's question as he began to move away from them. **"Mash, scout ahead from below and make sure she's—" **He pointed at the redhead. **"Safe. I'll look at from above."**

The two girls watched as Ritsuka straightened up inside the suit, his feet moving closer together and his hands palm down at his sides. Then small spurts of fire came out from the hands, as did the boots, instantly lifting the teen off the ground, though he a bit unsteady.

"Are you sure that armor of yours can…?" Gudako looked unsure when she saw how shaky the teen looked as he hovered off the ground.

"**It can hold." **Ritsuka assured her, confidence in his voice. **"I know it can." **He created it, after all. Well, he didn't a_ctually _construct it by hand, sure. But he was the one who came up with, designed, and develop the schematics and mechanics of it. The Science Division just built it with his instructions.

"Senpai…" Mash also voiced out her concerns. "Is it really safe for you to—"

"**Mash," **Ritsuka cut her off, his tone sounding like a parent lecturing a child. **"Sometimes you have to run, before you walk."**

"...That doesn't make any sense." Gudako pointed out flatly.

"**Says you." **The black haired teen snorted as he gradually lifted off the ground ever so slightly. **"Gudako, you're in charge until I get back, make sure to stay behind Mash at all times, don't run ahead." **

He tilted his head upwards, and like a firework, he shot off into the sky.

"…Since when was he in charge?" The redhead grumbled.

* * *

Okay, he would be the first to admit, that he _may _have underestimated the sheer acceleration the thrusters had.

As soon as he took off, the flight stabilizers built within the boots and gauntlets of the armor had caught him on a wall of pure thrust and the boot jets had picked up to roar like a wild animal unleashed. Kinda like Godzilla or King Kong howling, only more digitalized.

The acceleration was unreal. It didn't feel like getting kicked from behind like in a fighter jet. At least, Ritsuka thought it would be like being in a fighter jet, he hadn't boarded one yet, the closest being the plane he had took to the Antarctic. But this was different, it felt like his body was being stretched, like he was in a roadrunner cartoon. And it felt exhilarating, if it weren't for the situation he was in, he would have been cheering by now.

He jerked his body to tilt his legs to the left, rolling the stabilizers with him, and suddenly he quickly starting ascend higher than before.

Ritsuka was an inventor, he tinkered within the field of mechanics, it was his bread and butter, so to speak. From small things like old television sets and car engines to cars themselves to even planes, but this was different, this was electrifying. He could feel the air rushing over his face, even through the helmet, and it distracted him from the passing pain that ached in his heart, literally. He could feel the power flowing through his hands and feet keeping him going ever higher, ever faster.

"**Suit, trace and follow Mash and Gudako's signatures."** Ritsuka ordered, before another window popped up in the HUD screen, a radar showing two blue dots representing the two of his companions down below the ruined streets.

'_Alright, let's go left._ He told himself, and suddenly he was spinning, almost seemingly out of control. The horizon level spun, as did the view.

'_Whoops!'_ Ritsuka reminded himself just how he flew this thing, and put his hands out a little further, learning to steer the living missile he had become.

He slowly pushed the jets out just a little further, purely for curiosity so that he could see how fast he could go.

The acceleration snapped his head back, and his neck pressed against the inside of his suit by the G-forces. His feet were already starting to go numb from the many vibrations.

In his mind, Ritsuka was already taking small notes and reminders for himself as he flew. If they could get out of this mess, then he could potentially make a few revisions for the next model. He needed better vibration dampeners in the boot jets, he needed to adjust how the pitch and yaw worked, if he was going to do anything in the suit he couldn't get bogged down in the details of controlling this thing. The interior of the suit would have to be changed too. The G Forces were shoving him against edges he didn't know the suit interior had, and he'd built it.

The eyepiece lenses were not at all effected by the speeds involved, the AI within it thankfully cleaning up the digital image in real-time, giving him a crystal clear image of things almost a kilometer below.

His thoughts went over to the barrage of arrows from earlier and he frowned in thought. Shouldn't he have been ambushed by now? He certainly wasn't stealthy at all. The silver stood out from the black and red sky like a sore thumb and the teen knew that whoever had shot those arrows could probably see him now—

"_**Incoming projectile heading from the east side."**_ The AI's voice broke his thoughts, and Ritsuka frowned.

'_Uh oh.'_

Another familiar burst of crimson suffused the corners of his vision around the air from behind him, Ritsuka whipped his head to see the commotion, and his eyes widened.

Arrows.

Arrows coming at him fast.

He panicked, and he faltered, but regained his balance just in time stopping short as one arrow whizzed by him. The teen thanked his lucky stars that the twisted projectile had missed his body by an inch.

"**Shit!"**

He cursed, and spun around as another arrow sped towards him. Ritsuka tilted his body forward and shot himself upwards, getting higher into the sky leaning sideways as the crimson glow of the arrowhead chased after him and got closer and closer—

_Just_ enough.

His left boot scraped slightly against the sharp edge of the projectile as it went higher into the black clouds, disappearing shortly, and then there was nothing but the sky around him.

The barrage, once more, had ended, allowing Ritsuka to breathe a sigh of relief.

Before he heard a creaking noise. His readouts were glazing over, and the teen woke up to the fact that he couldn't feel temperature really well. Then he realized the predicament he was about to experience

It was ice.

Ritsuka shook his head.

'_It's just ice. Harmless. The armor can handle it. Ice can't get me.'_ He thought stubbornly, but a seed of doubt was grown into his mind, but he forced himself to believe in his creation.

**"Warning, ice buildup detected on the exterior, warning." **The AI informed him.

Intellectually of course, Ritsuka knew that too much ice on the outside of any aircraft could screw with any number of systems. It was logical and simple. Fluids could freeze, coolant could freeze, electronics could short out, vent and intakes could seal over solidify...

'_I need to get down, quick.' _Ritsuka thought to himself, before he prepared to do just that, maneuvering the armor to descend—

Only for his HUD to suddenly go blank.

'_Oh no.'_

Then he fell.

And fell.

Up was suddenly a good bit harder than it had appeared.

Down, however, was easy.

Ritsuka gave out a yell as his descent started. He threw his hands out to try and stabilize his flight, but he was in a flat spin. He had to get this ice off fast.

**"Deploy flaps! Now!"**

The suit gave no answer. The HUD was still blank; all he could see was the blackened skyline from the two small slits in his helmet.

Ritsuka moved an arm and struck the armor, then repeated it, and again, and again, hitting at his suit with desperation. His actions were received as crack started to form on the cold new layer, the black haired teen continued breaking off some of the ice. He was below the city skyline now.

'_Had it taken this long to go up?'_

**"Come on!"**

Now, the HUD lit up, and his air flaps all activated. The spin worsened across three axis at once, and the flaps shattered the ice layer from underneath.

More out of luck than anything else, Ritsuka idly thought as he managed to point his head down. The move put him into a dive, and now he only had to control the spin. Turning one hand over, he was able to produce enough counterthrust to make the world stop spinning.

But it was far too late. He was in a powered dive, straight for the broken concrete below that awaited him.

The teen reared his head back, but the armor didn't have enough give across the spine, and Ritsuka was suddenly bent pointing upwards again.

The suit's jets had power enough make him pull out of the dive, a whole millisecond before hitting the road, hovering just six inches from the ruined streets as he gained his breath.

Slowly, he lowered himself, and landed on the pavement safely with a heavy thud.

'_Note to self, never do that without a good readout of the suit's weaknesses.'_

He knew something was wrong. There was more to flying this thing than the power in the jets and the stabilizers in the gloves. The ice was a problem too.

And Ritsuka was already reworking the designs in his head.

'_Hmm, surface skin, internal padding, pitch and yaw controls...'_

'_Why didn't I think of any of these variables when I designed it?'_ Ritsuka groaned, asking himself. _'I think this needs an upgrade, badly_._'_

"_**Multiple entities detected."**_ The suit suddenly said, Ritsuka withheld another groan as the familiar skeletal creatures surrounded him. _**"Classified: Hostile."**_

'_Wait a second.'_ Ritsuka furrowed his eyebrows, his head swiveling to one of the monsters approaching and frowned. _'They look… different.'_

Sure enough, they did. Instead of milky white bones humans had, their frame was painted a nearly metallic blue sheen. Half of their head was missing, save for the jaw that was impossible for a human to have.

Some held a giant sword that glinted dangerously, others had short daggers, while the last few wielded bows and arrows all colored in the same shade of blue.

As they started to corner him, Ritsuka clenched his fist even as he walked backwards in caution. Realization dawned on him, glancing at his hand, he opened it, the palm showing the bright glow of the built-in thruster of the hand.

He lifted one arm, his hand opened at aimed at a skeleton.

The black haired boy thought about the possible recoil from how powerful the thrusters actually are and planted his feet hard.

'_Its primary function is propulsion.'_ Ritsuka thought. _'But what if…'_

He triggered the repulsor.

A short beam of pure energy shot forward.

The recoil was more powerful than he had expected, it threw his hand back to his shoulder but the teen forced himself to stop his arm. The skeleton staggered back, a good chunk of its right arm blown off to smithereens. It stood there, and stared blankly, as the other skeletons stopped and stared.

Ritsuka didn't give it anytime for the creature to snap out of its daze and fired another shot, ripping apart the jaw and torso, watching in satisfaction when it collapsed in a heap of bones.

The teen turned at one monster trying to sneak up at him and he fired, blasting its jaw apart. It shattered most immediately. Ritsuka swiveled his torso and he let out another again creature next to the now dead skeleton.

The Master rushed forward.

He struck one more skeleton, then raised an open palm towards the second undead. A half-second whine of power gathered within the gauntlet, and a shot of energy had sent it flying. A half turn toward his left and a second blast sent the next one head over heels. Two steps, and both hands fired a concentrated blast into the third that tried to shoot him with an arrow.

Another undead charged at him and leaped, bringing its cleaver-like blade down, only for it to be blown apart curtesy of a repulsor blast.

One undead ran at him while Ritsuka's back was turned, and swung its sword, aiming directly for the teen's neck. The Master didn't react fast enough and watched as the blade went down on his neck—

Before completely breaking in half.

The sword clattered to the ground, its owner joining it shortly, the skeleton now missing one arm and half of its ribs.

"_**Entities neutralized." **_The AI said.

Silence now overtook the area, Ritsuka straightened himself with a sigh, letting his hands fall to his sides, as gears whirred in response and the glowing power sources in his palms faded to nothing.

"**Well that was cathartic."**

"_**Caution." **_The AI suddenly spoke once more. _**"Chaldea Exo-Suit Mark II is not yet combat ready." **_It said. _**"Power is at eighty-nine percent."**_

"…**Couldn't you have told me that earlier—you know what? Nevermind."** Ritsuka started before he shook his head. **"Scan the area, mark Mash and Gudako's signatures." **He instructed the armor as the radar popped up once more.

He stood straight, and the thrusters activated as he started to lift off.

Then he shot upwards into the skyline once more…

"_And where do you think you're going?"_

"**!"**

Only for him to fall back on to the asphalt with a harsh _clang_! Ritsuka groaned, and gave out a yelp when he started to get forcefully dragged across the ground by the object that entangled his foot. He acted quick, swiveling his upper body and aimed for the thing trapping him.

'_Chains?'_

He blasted it without a second thought, and the bounding weapon broke apart. Ritsuka immediately activated his flight stabilizers in a short burst and gained distant between him and his attacker.

"_Oh my, what do I have here…"_

The teen snapped his head towards the direction of the voice.

Purple magic swirled around the broken rooftop of the coffee shop directly across of him, slowly revealing a tall hooded woman.

Despite her features shadowed within her cloak, Ritsuka could still see her pale visage long purple hair. The amber, almost yellow eyes stared at him in amusement and bloodlust as she twirled a staff that almost looked like it became a scythe as she played with it.

"**Who…"**

The woman's eyes glowed dangerously as a cruel smirk wormed its way on her face.

"Hello there… _my prey._"

* * *

**And done.**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. As always, I'll be checking the reviews on what you guys think.**

**See Ya.**


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